EYK, DISEASES OF. 279 



pill (Pr. GO) at b.-d-t hue, followed by the saline draught (Pr. 25) in the morning. The 

 should l>e bathed every two or three hours with an alum lotion, made by dis- 

 solving six grains of alum in an ounce of distilled water. In the intervals they may 

 be washed with tepid water, to keep them free from discharge. A little spermaceti 

 ointment >r warm mutton suet smeared over the edges of the eyelids at bed-time will 

 prevent them from sticking together. When there is much fever the aconite mix- 

 ture (Pr. :IS) may be used with advantage, and when debility is the prominent 

 symptom the tonic quinine mixture (Pr. 9) half an hour before meals, followed by e 

 couple of tea-spoonfuls of cod-liver oil three times a day immediately after meals, will 

 do good. The patient should stay in the house if possible, and should not use the 

 eyes more than is absolutely necessary. The usual duration of a cold in the eye is 

 from three or four to ten days, but in bad cases it may last a fortnight. 



When a cold in the eye becomes chronic it is far less amenable to treatment. It 

 may be the sequel of an acute attack, or it may result from the irritation caused by 

 exposure to smoke or to the fumes from chemicals ; crowded rooms and dusty oc- 

 cupations also favour its occurrence. There can be no doubt that in many cases it is 

 contagious, and in large schools it sometimes assumes an. epidemic form, and may 

 last for years. In these cases it is a good plan to use a lotion, containing three 

 grains of alum and one grain of sulphate of zinc to the ounce of water. A small 

 blister to the temples or behind the ears will relieve the pain and intolerance of light. 

 Should the patient object to a blister, a piece of mustard-leaf will answer almost as 

 well. When the eyes are very red, arsenic may be given a tea-spoonful of Pr. 40 

 every three or four hours ; when there is reason to think the eyes have been over- 

 st mined complete rest should be enjoined. Reading in a bad light or in the train, 

 doing fine needlework, and casting up figures will be found especially injurious, and 

 if indulged in for any length of time will do much to retard recovery. The greatest 

 attention must be paid to the general health, and in the case of children steel wine 

 and cod-liver oil should be given freely. For town dwellers nothing does more good 

 than a change to a good bracing atmosphere. In schools and other large institutions 

 the same towel should never be used by the affected and healthy, and the most scru- 

 pulous attention must be paid to cleanliness and ventilation. 



Ophthalmia, or inflammation, with formation of matter, may be regarded as a very 

 severe form of the preceding. It arises most commonly when people are crowded 

 together in filthy, ill-ventilated habitations. It is common in Egypt, and is said to 

 have been introduced into this country by our troops in the beginning of the present 

 century. It is of frequent occurrence in workhouses, pauper schools, and convict 

 establishments : in fact, in all places where a number of people occupy the same 

 dormitories and use the same lavatories. The constitutional symptoms to which it 

 gives rise are severe, and the risk of permanent injury to the sight is very great. It 

 usually commences with a slight discharge and swelling of the lids, and the discharge 

 quickly increases and becomes converted into matter. In mild cases the treatment 

 is that already laid down for cold in the eye, but in the more severe forms this 

 will not suffice, and the attendance of a medical man is absolutely necessary. It is 

 decidedly infectious, and if the greatest care be not taken it will spread. Should it 

 biv:ik out in a school, the sufferers should be "at once isolated, and if possible sent 



